CN111630218B

CN111630218B - Partially split fiber bundle, intermediate substrate, molded article, and method for producing same

Info

Publication number: CN111630218B
Application number: CN201980009139.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黑田哲也; 近藤孝志; 下山明
Original assignee: Toray Industries Inc
Current assignee: Toray Industries Inc
Priority date: 2018-02-01
Filing date: 2019-01-23
Publication date: 2022-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-23
Also published as: CN111630218A; JP7003990B2; EP3748055B1; EP3748055A4; WO2019151076A1; TW201934827A; JPWO2019151076A1; MX2020007734A; KR102647053B1; EP3748055A1; US20210032067A1; KR20200112842A; RU2020127571A

Abstract

The invention provides a method for manufacturing a partially split fiber bundle, an intermediate base material using the same, and a method for manufacturing a molded article, wherein even when a twist part exists in the partially split fiber bundle, the fiber bundle can be continuously and stably split for a long time. A method for manufacturing a partially split fiber bundle in which a part of the fiber bundle is split by inserting a protruding portion of a splitting mechanism into the fiber bundle when the fiber bundle having a spliced portion formed by splicing the fiber bundles is made to travel in the longitudinal direction, wherein the timing of inserting the fiber bundle by the splitting mechanism is changed based on the positional information of the spliced portion obtained by detecting the spliced portion.

Description

Partially split fiber bundle, intermediate substrate, molded article, and method for producing same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle and a partially split fiber bundle obtained by the method and the apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a partially split fiber bundle, which can continuously split a large, inexpensive tow having a large number of monofilaments without causing yarn breakage, and a partially split fiber bundle, an intermediate substrate and a molded article obtained by the production method and the production apparatus.

Background

A technique is known in which a molded article having a desired shape is produced by heating and pressure molding using a molding material formed of a bundle-like aggregate of discontinuous reinforcing fibers (for example, carbon fibers) (hereinafter, also referred to as a fiber bundle) and a matrix resin. In such molding materials, the molding material formed of a fiber bundle having a large number of monofilaments has excellent flowability during molding, but tends to deteriorate the mechanical properties of the molded article. In order to obtain both flowability during molding and mechanical properties of a molded article, a fiber bundle adjusted to an arbitrary number of filaments is used as a fiber bundle in a molding material.

As a method of adjusting the number of filaments of a fiber bundle, for example, patent documents 1 and 2 disclose a method of performing a fiber splitting process using a multi-fiber bundle wound body in which a plurality of fiber bundles are wound in advance. However, these methods are limited in the number of filaments of the fiber bundle to be previously treated, and therefore, the adjustment range is limited, and it is difficult to adjust the number of filaments to a desired number.

Further, for example, patent documents 3 to 5 disclose a method of longitudinally slitting (slit) a fiber bundle into a desired number of filaments by using a disk-shaped rotary cutter. In these methods, the number of filaments can be adjusted by changing the pitch (pitch) of the rotary cutter, but since the fiber bundle slit longitudinally over the entire length in the longitudinal direction does not have bundling properties, it is easy to make an operation of winding the longitudinally slit yarn around a bobbin (bobbin) or unwinding the fiber bundle from the bobbin after winding. Further, when the longitudinally slit fiber bundle is conveyed, the fiber bundle whose end portions are bifurcated by the longitudinal slitting may be wound around a guide roller, a delivery roller, or the like, and thus conveyance becomes difficult.

Further, patent document 6 discloses the following method: the fiber is cut into a prescribed length while being slit longitudinally by a fiber dividing cutter (cutter) having not only a longitudinal cutter parallel to the fiber direction, which has a longitudinal slitting function, but also a transverse cutter perpendicular to the fiber direction. By this method, it is not necessary to wind the longitudinally slit fiber bundle around a bobbin for transportation, and the operability can be improved. However, the fiber splitting cutter has a longitudinal cutter and a transverse cutter, so that the following disadvantages are caused: if one of the cutters reaches the cutting life first, the entire set of cutters has to be replaced.

In recent years, with the increasing demand for industrial carbon fibers, it has become necessary to increase the size of the carbon fibers in terms of productivity. On the other hand, large tows generally have a larger number of filaments and are short in size than ordinary tows. Thus, the fiber bundles are connected to each other to obtain a long-sized product. The connection between the fiber bundles is called a twist. In the splicer, the terminal ends of the fiber bundles are interlaced with each other by a pressurized fluid or are joined by a mechanical knotter, and the splicer is constituted by about 2 times the number of filaments of the fiber bundles. The fiber bundle having the twisted portion is effective for improving workability and productivity due to the increase in length, but the fiber density of the twisted portion is high, and therefore, when a cutter such as a rotary cutter is inserted into the twisted portion to perform a splitting process, the fiber bundle may be broken. Therefore, it is difficult to perform the splitting process on the fiber bundle having the twisted portion.

Patent document 7 discloses a method for producing an opened sheet that can be stably and inexpensively produced by using a fiber bundle that has been opened in advance as a rotational fiber-dividing mechanism having a protrusion, and a method for providing a production apparatus that can produce the opened sheet. However, when the spliced portion exists in the fiber bundle, the rotating mechanism having the protrusion continuously rotates, and the spliced portion is broken by the protrusion, and the broken fiber bundle is wound around the fiber distribution roller or the delivery roller, and may not be conveyed.

Patent document 8 discloses a manufacturing method in which a blade-shaped fiber dividing mechanism is inserted into a fiber bundle to divide the fiber while forming a crack, and the blade is rotated in the width direction to form a flow path (wide fiber dividing portion) for promoting resin impregnation, thereby improving the subsequent resin impregnation property and simplifying the manufacturing process. However, when a twisted portion of a plurality of tows constituting a fiber bundle exists in the fiber bundle, the twisted portion may be broken at the blade portion because the blade continuously divides the fiber bundle, and the fiber bundle may be clogged and thus may not be conveyed. Further, since the blade has a very thin wall, the blade may be damaged when the twisted portion is broken or clogged.

In addition, patent document 9 discloses the following method: a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus capable of improving the quality of a fiber bundle and stably operating for a long time by intermittently rotating a fiber dividing jig having an uneven shape to divide fibers.

Further, patent document 10 discloses a method of: a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus capable of stable continuous operation while insufficient fiber separation, winding of a pair of rollers, skewing and meandering of a fiber bundle are provided by intermittently separating a continuous fiber bundle with a rotating fiber separating jig.

Further, patent document 11 discloses the following method: the method and apparatus for manufacturing a partially split fiber bundle, which are capable of stably splitting fibers, are provided with a rotary fiber splitting mechanism for inserting a protruding portion of a rotary cutter into a fiber bundle, and further with an imaging mechanism for detecting whether the fiber bundle is twisted or not, and by controlling the fiber splitting mechanism so that the pressing force against the fiber bundle is reduced immediately before the twisting of the fiber bundle contacts the protruding portion until the twisting of the fiber bundle passes through.

Further, patent document 12 discloses a method of: the fiber separating mechanism for separating fibers by using the fixed groove roller is provided, and the groove roller is used for separating the fibers of the large tows and the common tows together, so that compared with the method for producing the common tows independently, the manufacturing method and the manufacturing device greatly reduce the cost. When the new creel is started, the twist part or the knotted part needs to be passed through, and in this case, the grooved roll is manually moved to the flat roll side, and after the twist part or the knotted part passes through the roll, the grooved roll side is returned again.

Further, patent document 13 discloses a method of: the fiber bundle splitting device is provided with a rotary fiber splitting mechanism for inserting a protruding part of a rotary cutter into a fiber bundle, and is further provided with an imaging mechanism for detecting whether the fiber bundle is twisted, wherein in a fiber splitting processing part and a non-fiber splitting processing part of a partial fiber splitting fiber bundle, the non-fiber splitting processing part is formed by avoiding fiber splitting processing of the twisted part. However, none of the above methods discloses a method for efficiently and stably producing a partially split fiber bundle in a fiber bundle having a twist portion. Further, there is no disclosure of a method of cutting a partially split fiber bundle and evaluating easiness of splitting of the cut partially split fiber bundle in a Sheet Molding Compound (hereinafter abbreviated as SMC) step using the cut fiber bundle.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-255448

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-100132

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-49208

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2014-30913

Patent document 5: japanese patent No. 5512908

Patent document 6: international publication No. 2012/105080

Patent document 7: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-

Patent document 8: european patent No. 2687356

Patent document 9: international publication No. 2016/136812

Patent document 10: international publication No. 2017/006989

Patent document 11: international publication No. 2016/104154

Patent document 12: U.S. Pat. No. 6385828

Patent document 13: international publication No. 2017/221657

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the case where a twisted portion exists in a fiber bundle in the continuous production of a partially split fiber bundle, pile pieces may be accumulated and the fiber bundle may be broken when the twisted portion comes into contact with a fiber splitting mechanism in the fiber splitting step, and in this case, the continuous production cannot be performed. In addition, the split partial fiber bundle is not completely split because of the state in which the split is formed. Therefore, there is no method for evaluating the ease of splitting (which is an important quality item in the Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) step in the subsequent step) relating to the dispersed state of the split partially split fiber bundles.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle, which can continuously and stably split a fiber bundle for a long period of time even when a twisted portion is present in the partially split fiber bundle, and a method for producing an intermediate base material and a molded article obtained by using the method. Further, a method for evaluating the state of dispersion of partially cut split fiber bundles by the "number of splits" associated with the ease of splitting is provided.

Means for solving the problems

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventors have found a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle in which a spliced portion of the partially split fiber bundle is detected and the spliced portion is prevented from being inserted into a splitting mechanism. That is, the method for producing a partially fibrillated fiber bundle of the present invention has the following configuration.

A method for producing a partially split fiber bundle, in which a fiber bundle having a twisted portion formed by joining fiber bundles is made to travel in a longitudinal direction, and a protrusion of a splitting mechanism repeatedly inserts and extracts the fiber bundle to split a part of the fiber bundle in the longitudinal direction,

based on the position information of the spliced part obtained by detecting the spliced part, the protruding part of the fiber splitting mechanism is pulled out from the fiber bundle before the spliced part, when the spliced part passes through the fiber splitting processing part, the condition A or the condition B is satisfied,

condition a: stopping the insertion of the protrusion of the fiber separating mechanism;

condition B: the moving speed of the protrusion of the fiber dividing mechanism is set to be substantially the same as the traveling speed of the fiber bundle.

That is, the method for producing the partially split fiber bundle is a method in which the protruding portion of the splitting mechanism is pulled out from the fiber bundle before the twisted portion based on the position information of the twisted portion obtained by detecting the twisted portion, and the timing for inserting the protruding portion of the splitting mechanism into the fiber bundle again after the twisted portion passes is different from the timing for inserting the fiber bundle of the non-twisted portion.

Further, a manufacturing method is provided in which when the twisted portion passes through the protruding portion of the fiber splitting mechanism, the fiber splitting mechanism is moved at a speed substantially equal to the traveling speed of the fiber bundle, and the timing of reinserting the fiber splitting mechanism into the fiber bundle is changed. Also provided is a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle, wherein the insertion of the fiber bundle by the fiber splitting mechanism is temporarily stopped when the protruding portion of the fiber splitting mechanism passes through the spliced portion, and the timing of inserting the protruding portion of the fiber splitting mechanism into the fiber bundle is changed.

Further, a method for manufacturing a partially split fiber bundle is provided, in which an imaging means for detecting a spliced portion is provided upstream in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle with respect to the fiber splitting means into which the fiber bundle has been inserted, and the detection of the spliced portion is performed based on the rate of change in the width of the fiber bundle. Further, the fiber dividing mechanism includes a rotating shaft perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle, and the plurality of protrusions are provided on a part of the surface of the rotating shaft.

As a method for evaluating the easiness of dividing the cut partially-divided fiber bundle in the SMC step using the cut partially-divided fiber bundle, an evaluation method using the number of divisions of the partially-divided fiber bundle was found. That is, the partial tow fiber bundle obtained by the method for producing the partial tow fiber bundle containing the carbon fibers was cut into a length of 15mm in width in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and then an impact was applied to the cut partial tow fiber bundle, and the number of divisions of the partial tow fiber bundle was confirmed. Providing that the cut partial fiber bundle is applied by 100m/s ² When an impact under the condition of an acceleration of 60msec is applied, the partial split fiber bundles of the division number Y of expressions 1 and 2 are formed.

Non-spliced portion: (X/11.1X 10) ³ )≤Y≤(X/1.5×10 ³ ) [ formula 1]

Twisting and connecting parts: (X/25.0X 10) ³ )≤Y≤(X/2.5×10 ³ ) [ formula 2 ]]

Here, X is the total number of filaments of the partial fiber bundle. The number of divisions Y is the number of small pieces into which the partial fiber bundle is divided, and is a positive integer. The number of divisions Y was counted as 1 fiber bundle that exists in the form of a fiber bundle and has a weight of 0.0007g or more for each fiber bundle.

The method for producing an intermediate base material of the present invention is a method for producing an intermediate base material in which the partially split fiber bundles obtained by the above-described method for producing partially split fiber bundles are cut and then impregnated with a resin.

Further, the method for producing a molded article of the present invention is a method for producing a molded article by pressing the intermediate base material obtained by the method for producing an intermediate base material.

[ Effect of the invention ]

The invention provides a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a partially split fiber bundle, which can continuously and stably split a fiber bundle for a long time even if a twisting part exists in the fiber bundle. Further, since the spliced portion can be prevented from being broken by contacting the protruding portion of the splitting mechanism, the large tow having the spliced portion can be subjected to the continuous splitting process, and the material cost and the manufacturing cost of the molded product can be reduced.

Further, by confirming the actual ease of splitting of the partially split fiber bundle by the method for evaluating the number of splits of the partially split fiber bundle, it is possible to confirm in advance the partially split fiber bundle exhibiting a good dispersion state before the SMC processing as the subsequent step, and there is an effect of preventing the outflow of the abnormal product.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view (a), a schematic side view (b), and a schematic side view (c) of an example of a partially split fiber bundle obtained by splitting a fiber bundle having a twisted portion.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view showing an example of a movement cycle of inserting the fiber distribution mechanism into the fiber bundle having the twist portion.

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) showing the timing of extracting the fiber distribution mechanism from the fiber bundle having the twist portion and then reinserting the fiber bundle.

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing an example of a movement cycle in which the fiber dividing mechanism is inserted into a traveling fiber bundle including a spliced portion, the movement cycle including an imaging device for detecting the spliced portion.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a partially split fiber bundle obtained by subjecting a fiber bundle to splitting treatment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) showing an example of a fiber distribution mechanism inserted in a traveling fiber bundle.

Fig. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing an example of a contact portion of a protrusion which is a part of the fiber separation mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a corner portion of the contact portion in the protruding portion.

Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the movement cycle of the insertion rotary fiber distribution mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an SMC step as a production step of the intermediate base material.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an SMC step as a production step of the intermediate base material.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view showing an example of a method of evaluating the number of divisions of a partially split fiber bundle.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited in any way by the embodiment of the drawings.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a schematic view of a process of splitting a fiber bundle and a partial fiber-splitting fiber bundle. Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view (a) and a schematic side view (b) showing an example of a fiber distribution mechanism inserted in a traveling fiber bundle. The fiber bundle advancing direction a (arrow) in the drawing is the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100, and the fiber bundle 100 is continuously supplied from a fiber bundle supplying device (not shown), is widened in the width direction, and then enters the fiber separation treatment step.

The fiber dividing mechanism 200 includes a protrusion 210, and the protrusion 210 has a protrusion shape that is easily inserted into the fiber bundle 100, and performs a fiber dividing process in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100 by being inserted into the traveling fiber bundle 100. The region where the fiber bundle can be split is a region where the protrusion 210 of the splitting mechanism 220 contacts the fiber bundle, and this region is referred to as the splitting processing unit 150. Here, the fiber distribution mechanism 200 is preferably inserted in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the fiber bundle 100. The vertical direction of the fiber bundle with respect to the traveling direction as used herein means the upper and lower surfaces in the horizontal direction (for example, corresponding to the side surface of the fiber bundle 100 shown in fig. 6) in the case of a flat shape such as a horizontally long oval or a horizontally long rectangle in the cross section of the fiber bundle. The number of the protrusions 210 provided for each 1 fiber distribution mechanism 200 may be 1, or may be plural. When there are a plurality of protrusions 210 in 1 fiber distribution mechanism 200, the frequency of wear of the protrusions 210 is reduced, and therefore, the frequency of replacement can also be reduced. Further, a plurality of fiber distribution mechanisms 200 may be used simultaneously according to the number of fiber bundles to be distributed. The plurality of protrusions 210 may be arbitrarily arranged such that the plurality of fiber distribution mechanisms 200 are juxtaposed, staggered, shifted in phase, or the like.

When the fiber bundle 100 formed of a plurality of monofilaments is divided into a smaller number of divided bundles by the fiber dividing mechanism 200, the plurality of monofilaments are not substantially in a parallel state in the fiber bundle 100, and a large number of portions are interlaced at a monofilament level (level), and therefore, the entanglement 160 where the monofilaments are interlaced may be formed near the contact portion 211 in the fiber dividing process.

After the fiber separation processing is performed by the fiber separation processing unit 150, the fiber separation mechanism 200 is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100. By this drawing, the fiber separation processing section 110 in which the fiber separation processing is performed is formed, and at the same time, the entanglement storage 120 in which the entanglement 160 is accumulated is formed. In addition, fluff generated from the fiber bundle in the fiber separation treatment is formed in the vicinity of the complexing agent reservoir 120 as a fluff collecting part 140 in the fiber separation treatment.

Then, the fiber splitting mechanism 200 is inserted into the fiber bundle 100 again, thereby creating the non-split processed section 130. By repeating the above fiber splitting processing operation, the fiber bundle 100 forms a partially split fiber bundle exemplified in fig. 5. Then, the sheet is wound into a roll or the like for feeding to a subsequent step.

The fiber distribution mechanism 200 is not particularly limited as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved, and an object having a shape such as a sharp shape, such as a metal needle or a thin plate, is preferable. The fiber dividing mechanism 200 is preferably provided in plurality in the width direction of the fiber bundle 100 to be subjected to the fiber dividing process, and the number of the fiber dividing mechanisms 200 can be arbitrarily selected depending on the number F (root) of the constituent filaments of the fiber bundle 100 to be subjected to the fiber dividing process. The number of the division processing sections when the reinforcing fiber is used in the fiber bundle is preferably ((F/10000) -1) or more and less than ((F/500) -1) division processing sections in the width direction of the certain fiber bundle 100. Here, F is the total number of filaments (root) constituting the fiber bundle subjected to the splitting treatment. When the number is less than ((F/10000) -1), improvement of mechanical properties is hardly exhibited when a reinforced fiber composite material is produced in a subsequent step, and when the number is at least (F/500-1), yarn breakage and fuzzing may occur during a fiber dividing treatment.

Next, a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle in a fiber bundle 100 having a spliced portion in which fiber bundles are spliced together according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1. The "partially split fiber bundle" in the present invention means a fiber bundle in which a split treatment is performed on the fiber bundle as described above and a slit is formed in a part in the longitudinal direction. The "partially split fiber bundle having a spliced portion" in the present invention means a partially split fiber bundle having a spliced portion as a joint portion between a plurality of tows constituting the fiber bundle. The twisted portion is a portion in which the terminal end portions of the fiber bundle are interlaced with each other by a pressurized fluid or joined by a mechanical knotter as a method for improving workability and productivity by continuously supplying the fiber bundle having a portion in which the fiber bundle is joined to each other to a manufacturing process of the fiber bundle.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view (a), a schematic side view (b), and another schematic side view (c) showing an example of a process of producing a partially split fiber bundle from a traveling fiber bundle 100 having a twist portion 180. The fiber bundle advancing direction a (arrow) in the figure is the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100, and the fiber bundle 100 having the twisted portion is continuously supplied from a fiber bundle supplying device (not shown). The fiber separating mechanism is a rotary fiber separating mechanism 220 provided with a protrusion 240. As described above, the fiber bundle 100 travels while being subjected to the process of forming a partially split fiber bundle using the splitting mechanism. In fig. 1, the protrusion 210 (black dot in fig. 1) of the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100 immediately before the twisted portion 180, and the fiber splitting processing section 110 is terminated. The protrusion 210 (black dot in fig. 1) is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100 by starting rotation of the rotary fiber separation mechanism 220. Then, the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 rotates in the same direction and at substantially the same speed as the fiber bundle advancing direction a, and the next protrusion 210 (white dot in fig. 1) is inserted into the advancing fiber bundle 100 again. By doing so, as shown in fig. 1 (a), the spliced portion 180 exists in the non-fiber-splitting processed section 130. In fig. 1 (a), the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 is drawn on the splice 180, and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 rotates below the fiber bundle 100 in the splice 180 while avoiding the fiber dividing process.

Here, a preferred configuration in the method for producing a partial fiber bundle will be described. In fig. 4, means 900 to 930 for detecting the splice 180 are provided upstream when the fiber bundle 100 having the splice 180 formed by joining the fiber bundles is made to travel in the longitudinal direction. In the example of fig. 4, a camera 910 for capturing an image of the fiber bundle is provided at a position upstream of the fiber distribution mechanism 220, and the image captured by the camera 910 is continuously transmitted to an image processing device 920 (which processes information in the width direction of the fiber bundle). Further, when the splice 180 is detected, a speed change signal output 930 for changing the speed of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 is generated. Here, a method of detecting the twisted portion 180 will be described.

The traveling fiber bundle is photographed from above using a camera 910. In photographing, an area camera (area camera) or a line sensor camera is used. The planar image of the fiber bundle is configured such that the positions of both ends in the width direction can be recognized from the image. Then, based on the positional information of both ends, the distance between both ends can be recognized as the fiber bundle width. For example, in a fiber bundle having a twisted portion, when the fiber width is measured from continuously photographed images, the width of the fiber bundle 100 gradually becomes narrower in a range of several 10mm before the twisted portion, and when entering the twisted portion, the state of being narrower than the normal fiber bundle width continues. Then, when the splice is completed, the width of the fiber bundle 100 is gradually increased by several 10mm, and the width of the fiber bundle 100 is returned to the normal width. That is, the characteristics of the contour of the fiber bundle width can be discriminated based on the image obtained by continuously imaging the traveling fiber bundle, and the spliced portion can be detected.

For example, the detection of the twisted portion may be performed based on the change rate in the width direction of the fiber bundle 100. The width-direction change rate is obtained by the following equation for the width (W1, for example, 50mm) of the fiber bundle 100 widened in the width direction and the width (W2, for example, 15mm) of the twisted portion.

Rate of change in width direction (W1-W2)/W1

In the example, (50-15)/50 is 0.7, and the twisted portion is detected at a rate exceeding a predetermined rate. The width-direction change rate (which is used for detecting the twisted portion) varies depending on the type of the fiber bundle and the process conditions, and is preferably 0.4 or more. Further, it is also preferable to use a method of detecting that the width (W2) of the twisted portion is less than a predetermined value. When detecting the spliced portion, the timing of inserting the protruding portion of the fiber dividing mechanism 200 or the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 into the fiber bundle is changed to avoid the fiber dividing process.

The rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 is preferably provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating along a rotating shaft 240 perpendicular to the feeding direction of the fiber bundle having the twist portion 180, as shown in fig. 1 and 2. Further, it is also preferable to provide a mechanism for moving the fiber separation mechanism 200 shown in fig. 3 up and down. In the case of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 having the rotating mechanism shown in fig. 2, the timing of inserting the protrusion 210 of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 into the fiber bundle 100 can be changed by rotationally moving the rotating mechanism 220 at substantially the same speed as the traveling speed of the fiber bundle 100. In the case where the fiber dividing mechanism 200 shown in fig. 3 moves up and down, it is preferable to temporarily stop the insertion of the fiber bundle 100 by the protrusion 210 of the fiber dividing mechanism 220 while the protrusion 210 of the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is lowered to the position just before the splice 180 and while the splice passes through, thereby delaying the timing of the insertion of the protrusion 210 of the fiber dividing mechanism 200 into the fiber bundle 100.

The fiber bundle used in the present invention has a spliced portion as a joint portion between a plurality of tows constituting the fiber bundle. The fiber bundle having the twisted portion formed by joining the fiber bundles can be continuously supplied to the fiber bundle manufacturing process, and the workability and productivity can be improved.

The shape of the twisted portion is a portion where the terminal portions of the fiber bundles are intertwined with each other by a pressurized fluid or joined by a mechanical knotter, the longitudinal length of the fiber bundle is 20mm to 150mm, and the weight per unit area of the fiber bundle of the portion where the longitudinal length of the fiber bundle is 20mm to 150mm is about 2 times that of a normal fiber bundle.

The twisted portion can be used as a product having a predetermined length depending on the use of the product, and can reduce products having a length not satisfying the predetermined length by joining the broken ends of the continuous fiber bundle to each other for some reason in the manufacturing process of the fiber bundle and the subsequent processes to form a continuous fiber.

Since the fiber bundle is interlaced by the pressurized fluid or joined by the mechanical knotter, the width of the fiber bundle is narrowed only at the spliced portion even when the fiber bundle before the fiber separation treatment is widened in the widening step. However, from the viewpoint of maintaining the bonding strength necessary for passing the fiber bundle through the widening step and continuous production without filament breakage, the filament width of the spliced portion is preferably 5 to 20mm, and more preferably 10 to 15 mm.

Here, in the fiber bundle, the width of the fiber bundle may be narrowed in addition to the spliced portion. For example, case 1 is: for example, if a certain side portion of the fiber bundle excessively contacts a yarn guide, a grooved roller, or the like existing in each step (including a raw material step and a manufacturing step of the split fiber bundle), the width of the fiber bundle becomes narrow. The 2 nd case is: in each step (including a raw material step and a manufacturing step of a split fiber bundle), when a damage of the fiber bundle or a breakage of a monofilament due to a condition abnormality or the like occurs, the width of the damaged portion of the fiber bundle becomes narrow. Further, the difference in the state of the monofilaments at the twisted portion or the like also narrows the width of the fiber bundle. On the other hand, the spliced part is characterized in that the length direction is 20mm to 150mm within the range of 5mm to 20mm, particularly 10mm to 15 mm. That is, it is preferable to detect the twisted portion by discriminating the characteristics of the twisted portion from the characteristics of the narrow width caused by other factors. For example, when the fiber bundle is narrowed by contacting the yarn guide, the grooved roller, or the like, the width change of the fiber bundle is smaller than the width change of the twisted portion, and the width of the fiber bundle is narrowed by 0.5m or more, and thus the fiber bundle is discriminated as "not being" the twisted portion. In addition, in the case of the twisted portion, since the positions of the monofilaments and the like alternate with each other at the boundary of the twisted portion, when the twisted portion is brought into contact with the fiber splitting means to perform the fiber splitting process, the width of the fiber bundle is narrowed. There are also some cases where the monofilaments form a twisted portion in a state of a fiber bundle in which they are gathered, and the twisted portion is discriminated as "not being" a twisted portion because the fiber width is sharply narrowed in a section immediately before/after the twisted portion. As described above, the spliced portion and the twisted portion can be identified using the characteristics of the width change rate of the fiber bundle. Since the twisted portion continues in the range of the section of 20mm to 150mm, the method of avoiding the splitting process is different from that of the twisted portion.

[ fiber bundle ]

The fiber bundle 100 used in the present invention is not particularly limited in the kind of fibers as long as it is a fiber bundle formed of a plurality of monofilaments. Among them, reinforcing fibers are preferably used. Here, the reinforcing fiber means a fiber for reinforcing the resin, and among them, at least 1 selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber, aramid fiber and glass fiber is preferable. These may be used alone, or 2 or more of them may be used in combination. Among these, carbon fiber is particularly preferable because it can provide a composite material which is lightweight and excellent in strength. The carbon fiber may be any of PAN-based and pitch-based carbon fibers, and the average fiber diameter thereof is preferably 3 to 12 μm, more preferably 6 to 9 μm.

In the case of carbon fibers, the carbon fibers are usually supplied in the form of a package formed by winding a bundle of about 1000 to 60000 monofilaments made of continuous fibers around a bobbin. The fiber bundle is preferably untwisted, but a bundle of strands (strand) introducing twist may be used, and even if twist is introduced during conveyance, the present invention can be applied. The number of filaments is not limited, and when a large tow having a large number of filaments is used, the cost per unit weight of the fiber bundle is low, and therefore, the larger the number of filaments is, the more the cost of the final product can be reduced, which is preferable. As the large tow, a so-called doubled form in which fiber bundles are gathered into 1 bundle and wound can be used.

When reinforcing fibers are used, it is preferable to perform surface treatment for the purpose of improving adhesion to a matrix resin when a reinforcing fiber composite material is produced. As the surface treatment method, electrolytic treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet treatment, and the like are included. In addition, sizing agents (sizing agents) may be added to prevent fluffing of the reinforcing fibers, to improve bundling of the reinforcing fiber bundles, to improve adhesion to the matrix resin, and the like. The sizing agent is not particularly limited, and compounds having a functional group such as an epoxy group, a urethane group, an amino group, or a carboxyl group can be used, and 1 or 2 or more of them can be used in combination.

The fiber bundle used in the present invention is preferably in a state of being previously gathered into a bundle. Here, the state of bundling in advance means: for example, a state in which filaments constituting a fiber bundle are gathered into a bundle based on interweaving of the filaments with each other; a state of being gathered into a bundle based on a sizing agent imparted to the fiber bundle; the fiber bundle is gathered into a bundle by twisting included in the manufacturing process of the fiber bundle.

[ unwinding ]

In the step of producing the partially split fiber bundle, it is preferable that the fiber separating device includes an unwinding mechanism for unwinding the fiber bundle, a fiber separating mechanism including a plurality of protrusions for separating the fiber bundle, a control mechanism for inserting/extracting the fiber separating mechanism into/from the fiber bundle, and a winding mechanism for winding the partially split fiber bundle having been separated.

In any case, as for the unwinding direction in which the fiber bundle is unwound from an unwinding device (not shown) or the like disposed on the upstream side in the traveling direction of the fiber bundle, a lateral drawing method in which the fiber bundle is drawn in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the bobbin, or a longitudinal drawing method in which the fiber bundle is drawn in the same direction as the rotation axis of the bobbin (paper tube) may be used, and the lateral drawing method is preferable in view of less untwisting of the lateral drawing method.

The bobbin can be set in any direction with respect to the setting posture of the bobbin during unwinding. When the bobbin is set in a state in which the end surface of the bobbin on the side other than the side on which the creel rotation shaft is fixed faces in a direction other than the horizontal direction in a state in which the bobbin is inserted into the creel (creel), it is preferable to hold the fiber bundle in a state in which a constant tension is applied. When the fiber bundle does not have a constant tension, the fiber bundle slips off from the package (a wound body obtained by winding the fiber bundle on a bobbin) and is separated from the package, or the fiber bundle separated from the package is wound around the rotation shaft of the creel, and it is considered that the fiber bundle is difficult to unwind.

As a method of fixing the rotating shaft for unwinding the wound material, in addition to a method using a creel, a surface unwinding method may be applied in which the wound material is placed parallel to the rollers on 2 rollers arranged in parallel, and the fiber bundle is unwound so that the wound material rotates on the rollers arranged in parallel.

In addition, in the case of unwinding using a creel, the following method may be considered: a belt (belt) is hung on the creel, one end of the belt is fixed, a heavy object is hung on the other end of the belt, the other end of the belt is stretched by a spring, and the other end of the belt is applied with brake (break), thereby applying tension to the unwound fiber bundle. In this case, it is effective to change the braking force according to the winding diameter as a means for stabilizing the tension.

The number of monofilaments after splitting can be adjusted by a method of widening the fiber bundle and the pitch of a plurality of splitting mechanisms arranged side by side in the width direction of the fiber bundle. By reducing the pitch of the fiber dividing mechanism and providing more fiber dividing mechanisms in the width direction of the fiber bundle, the fiber can be divided into so-called small bundles having fewer monofilaments. In addition, even if the pitch of the fiber dividing mechanism is not reduced, the number of monofilaments can be adjusted by widening the fiber bundle before the fiber dividing treatment and dividing the widened fiber bundle by more fiber dividing mechanisms.

Here, the widening refers to a process of increasing the width of the fiber bundle 100. The widening treatment method is not particularly limited, and a vibration widening method in which the fiber is passed through a vibration roller, an air widening method in which compressed air is blown, or the like is preferable.

[ fiber separating mechanism ]

In the fiber dividing mechanism, a cutter (protrusion 210) for inserting the fiber bundle divides the fiber bundle in the longitudinal direction and divides the fiber bundle. Since the fiber separation was performed (Japanese: cut り and cut れる), there was a difference in speed between the movement of the fiber bundle and the movement of the fiber separation mechanism. Here, the speed difference may be generated by moving the fiber bundle and not moving the fiber dividing mechanism, or may be generated by moving the fiber dividing mechanism and not moving the fiber bundle. Further, both may move, but there may be a difference in speed. Further, the cutter inserted into the fiber bundle can be pulled out, and partial fiber separation processing is realized by repeating insertion and pulling out.

The fiber dividing mechanism that can be used in the present invention is exemplified. The fiber distribution mechanism is preferably in the form of a blade having a blade with a protruding tip of a plate, a fiber distribution mechanism having a plurality of blades formed on a belt that moves such as a crawler, a fiber distribution mechanism having a plurality of protruding blades formed on the circumferential surface of a disc having a rotating shaft, or the like. In the fiber separation process, the fiber separation mechanism 200 and the protrusion 210 of the rotary fiber separation mechanism 220 are inserted into the fiber bundle 100, and the fiber bundle 100 moves without moving the protrusion 210 in a state where the fiber bundle 100 is in contact with the protrusion 210, so that the fiber separation process is performed by this speed difference. In the partial defibration process, when the blade having the protruding cutter at the tip of the plate is used, the blade is moved up and down, for example, and the cutter is pulled out and inserted from the fiber bundle. In the case of a fiber distribution mechanism in which a plurality of blades are formed on a moving belt or a rotary cutter having a plurality of protrusions, the protrusions are inserted by moving or rotating and then pulled out, thereby partially performing a fiber distribution process. The fiber dividing processing section 150 is a section in which the fiber dividing processing is possible. The fiber separation processing section 150 corresponds to the protrusion 210 shown in fig. 6 (a) in the case of the blade-shaped fiber separation mechanism 200, for example. In addition, the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 240 having a plurality of protrusions 210 corresponds to a space between a protrusion 210 and an adjacent protrusion 210.

[ insertion and extraction: time ]

In the splitting process of the partially split fibers, generally, the insertion and extraction of the splitting mechanism 200 are repeated to form the splitting process section 110 (fig. 6). At this time, the reinsertion time is preferably set by the elapsed time after the fiber separation mechanism 200 is pulled out. It is also preferable that the re-extraction time is set by the time elapsed after the fiber separation mechanism 200 is inserted. By setting the time points of insertion and/or extraction by time, the fiber separation processing section 110 and the non-fiber separation processing section 130 at predetermined distance intervals can be generated, and the ratio of the fiber separation processing section 110 to the non-fiber separation processing section 130 can be arbitrarily determined. The predetermined time interval may be always the same, but may be increased or decreased according to the distance over which the fiber separation process is performed, and the predetermined time interval may be changed according to the state of the fiber bundle at different timings, for example, when the number of piles and monofilaments originally included in the fiber bundle is small, the predetermined time interval may be decreased.

[ extraction: pressing force, tension difference ]

As shown in fig. 6, when the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is inserted into the fiber bundle 100, the formed entangled portion 160 continues to push the protruding portion 210 as the fiber dividing process proceeds, and therefore the fiber dividing mechanism 200 receives a pressing force from the entangled portion 160.

As described above, the plurality of monofilaments are not substantially in a doubled state within the fiber bundle 100, but a large number of portions are interlaced at a monofilament level, and there are cases where there are positions where the number of interlaces is large and positions where the number of interlaces is small in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100. In the position where the monofilaments are interlaced more, the rise of the pressing force in the fiber separation process is accelerated, whereas in the position where the monofilaments are interlaced less, the rise of the pressing force is slowed down. Therefore, the fiber dividing mechanism 200 preferably includes a pressing force detection mechanism that detects a pressing force from the fiber bundle 100.

Since the tension of the fiber bundle 100 may change before and after the fiber distribution mechanism 200, at least 1 tension detection mechanism for detecting the tension of the fiber bundle 100 may be provided in the vicinity of the fiber distribution mechanism 200, or a plurality of tension detection mechanisms may be provided to calculate the tension difference. The detection means for the pressing force, the tension, and the tension difference may be provided individually or in any combination. Here, the tension detecting means for detecting tension is preferably disposed within a range of 10 to 1000mm from the fiber dividing means 200 at least one of before and after the distance in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100.

It is preferable to control the drawing of the fiber separation mechanism 200 based on the detected values of the pressing force, tension, and tension difference. More preferably, the control is performed such that the fiber separation mechanism 200 is pulled out when the detected value increases and exceeds an arbitrarily set upper limit value. The upper limit value is preferably set to 1N/mm in the case of the pressing force and the tension, and set to 0.8N/mm in the case of the tension difference. The upper limit value may be varied within a range of ± 10% depending on the state of the fiber bundle. Here, the unit (N/mm) of the pressing force, the tension, and the tension difference represents a force acting on the fiber bundle 100 per unit width. If the pressing force, tension, and tension difference are set low, the pressing force, tension, and tension difference for pulling out the fiber separation mechanism 200 is reached immediately after inserting the fiber separation mechanism 200, and therefore, a sufficient fiber separation distance cannot be obtained, the fiber separation processing section 110 becomes too short, and a fiber bundle that has been partially subjected to fiber separation processing cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the pressing force, tension, and tension difference are set high, the monofilament is cut more in the fiber bundle 100 after the fiber separating mechanism 200 is inserted and before the pressing force, tension, and tension difference for pulling out the fiber separating mechanism 200 is reached, and therefore, the following disadvantages are likely to occur: the fiber bundle subjected to the splitting treatment is extended in an end part form; the produced fluff is increased; and so on. The following conveyance failures are likely to occur: the protruding end part is wound on a roller in conveying in a forked mode; or fluff is accumulated on the driving roller to make the fiber bundle slide; and so on. Therefore, the pressing force, the tension, and the tension difference are preferably adjusted according to the fiber separation process.

Unlike the case where the pulling-out time point of the fiber separation mechanism 200 is controlled with time, when the pressing force, the tension, or the difference in tension is detected, the fiber separation mechanism 200 is pulled out before the force of the degree of cutting the fiber bundle 100 is applied at the time of the fiber separation process, so that an excessive force is not applied to the fiber bundle 100, and a continuous fiber separation process becomes possible.

In many cases, the pressure force, tension, and tension difference are not generated in the spliced portion in order to change the pressure force, tension, and tension difference generated in the portion interlaced at the monofilament level. Therefore, in order to detect the twisted portion, it is preferable to use a method of observing a change in width of the fiber bundle in the width direction, instead of the pressing force or the tension. Specifically, it is preferable to continuously measure the fiber bundle using an image such as a camera and detect the image from the width change rate in the width direction. Further, since the time for avoiding the twisted portion and the time point of insertion are different, it is preferable to detect the occurrence position information of the twisted portion and the length information in the longitudinal direction also by using the image when the twisted portion and the twisted portion are discriminated. The detection of the twisted portion using the image will be described below.

[ image detection ]

The fiber bundle 100 having the twisted portion is advanced while the above fiber dividing process is performed (fig. 4). It is also preferable that an imaging means for detecting the width of the fiber bundle 100 is provided in a range of 10 to 1000mm from the fiber bundle which travels at least on the upstream side in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100 with respect to the fiber distribution means 200 into which the fiber bundle 100 has been inserted and at a distance. In fig. 4, a detection camera 910 as a photographing mechanism is exemplified. By determining the position (narrow width portion) of the twisting part 180 in advance based on the image, and controlling the preset mode so that the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is not inserted into the twisting part 180 based on the result, it is possible to prevent the fiber bundle from being broken due to the insertion. In addition, by pulling out the fiber splitting mechanism 200 when the spliced portion 180 approaches the inserted fiber splitting mechanism 200, that is, by not performing the fiber splitting process on the spliced portion 180, it is possible to prevent the spliced portion from being broken due to the insertion.

The operation of the splicing section approaching the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 will be described. A detection camera 910 for imaging the fiber bundle is provided at a position 10 to 1000mm upstream of the fiber dividing mechanism in the moving direction of the fiber bundle. As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber bundle width of the twisted portion gradually becomes narrower by 10mm, and the fiber width of the twisted portion becomes narrower by 30% to 70% of the fiber bundle width before and after twisting. The time point at which the rotary fiber dividing mechanism is rotated at substantially the same speed is obtained by dividing the distance (m) from the position at which the twisted portion is detected immediately before the twisted portion (several 10mm) until the fiber dividing mechanism by the moving speed (m/min) of the fiber bundle, starting the rotation several seconds after the start of the rotation, and transmitting the time point at which the rotation is started to a motor control unit such as a rotary shaft as a pulse signal. The length (m) of the narrow width is obtained from the detected image of the twisted portion, and the time for rotating at the same speed as the moving speed of the fiber bundle is obtained. After the passage of the splice section, the time point at which the rotation is stopped is transmitted as a pulse signal to a motor control section such as a rotary shaft, and the operation is returned to a normal operation state.

Next, the operation of the splicing section approaching the fiber distribution mechanism 210 will be described. A detection camera 910 for imaging the fiber bundle is provided at a position 10 to 1000mm upstream of the fiber dividing mechanism in the moving direction of the fiber bundle. As shown in FIG. 3, the width of the fiber bundle at the twisted portion gradually becomes narrower by 10 mm. When the fiber bundle is detected, the protrusion 210 of the fiber separating mechanism 200 is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100, and the insertion is stopped. The time point at which the stop was started and the time at which the stop was stopped were determined by dividing the distance (m) from the position at which the twisted portion was detected to the fiber dividing mechanism by the moving speed (m/min) of the fiber bundle to determine the stop start time and starting the stop several seconds later. The length (m) of the narrow width is obtained from the detected image of the twisted portion, and the time for stopping the insertion is obtained from the moving speed of the fiber bundle. After the splice passes, the protrusion 220 of the fiber separation processing mechanism 210 is inserted again, and the normal operation state is restored.

[ Change in speed (traveling speed of fiber bundle is substantially the same as rotation speed of rotary fiber-splitting treatment mechanism) ]

Further, as shown in fig. 4, the optical fiber drawing device may further include an image arithmetic processing device 920 that calculates an image obtained by the image capturing means (for example, the detection camera 910), or may further include a rotational speed control means (for example, a speed change signal output 930 to the motor) that controls the rotational speed of the rotational fiber separating means 220 based on the calculation result of the image arithmetic processing device 920. For example, when the image arithmetic processing device 920 detects the spliced portion 180, the passing performance when the spliced portion 180 passes through the fiber dividing mechanism 200 can be improved. Specifically, when the detection camera 910 as the imaging means detects the twisted portion 180, it is preferable to set the following mode: the speed of the rotating fiber separating mechanism 220 is controlled so that the protrusion 210 of the rotating fiber separating mechanism 220 is restricted to the lowest contact with the splice 180 from immediately before the contact with the splice 180 until the passage. Specifically, when detecting the splice 180, the speed of the fiber bundle traveling in the longitudinal direction is preferably substantially the same as the rotational speed of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220. The substantially same speed is preferably set in a mode in which the rotational speed of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 is rotated at a speed of 100% to 95% of the traveling speed of the fiber bundle. When the amount exceeds the above range or falls below the above range, the protrusion 210 may be caught by a part of the twisted portion 180, and the broken filaments of the fiber bundle may be caught by the rotational fiber-separating member 220.

In the configuration in which the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is provided in plurality in the width direction of the fiber bundle 100 and is arranged at equal intervals, the number of monofilaments to be divided may vary when the width of the fiber bundle 100 varies, and therefore, the processing for dividing the fibers into a stable number of monofilaments may not be performed. In addition, when the twisted yarn is forcibly split, the fiber bundle 100 is cut at the monofilament level to generate a large amount of fluff, and therefore, the shape of the entanglement storage 120 formed by accumulating the entanglement 160 is increased. If a large entanglement accumulator 120 remains in advance, it is easily caught by the fiber bundle 100 unwound from the roll.

[ quick feed avoidance of the twisting part ]

When the twist of the fiber bundle 100 is detected, the traveling speed of the fiber bundle 100 may be changed in addition to the control in such a manner that the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is not inserted into the twist. Specifically, when the fiber dividing mechanism 200 is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100 after the twist is detected, the traveling speed of the fiber bundle 100 is increased until the twist passes through the fiber dividing mechanism 200, and the twist can be avoided efficiently.

[ rotating fiber separating mechanism ]

The following describes a method of avoiding the twisted portion (fig. 2) using the rotary fiber distribution mechanism of the present invention, in comparison with a method of avoiding the twisted portion (fig. 9). In fig. 9, a complex reservoir 120 and the like are generated in accordance with a normal fiber dividing process. In addition to simply inserting the fiber splitting mechanism 200 having the protrusion 210 into the fiber bundle 100, it is also preferable to use a rotatable fiber splitting mechanism 220 as the fiber splitting mechanism. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the movement cycle of the insertion rotary fiber distribution mechanism. The rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 includes a rotation mechanism having a rotation shaft 240 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100, and the protrusion 210 is provided on the surface of the rotation shaft 240. As the fiber bundle 100 travels in the fiber bundle traveling direction B (arrow) in the figure, the protrusion 210 provided on the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 is inserted into the fiber bundle 100, and the fiber splitting process is started. Although not shown, the rotational fiber separation mechanism 220 preferably includes a rotational speed control mechanism, a pressing force detection mechanism, and a rotational stop position holding mechanism. With these mechanisms, before a predetermined pressing force acts on the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220, the fiber distribution is continued while maintaining the rotation stop position at the position of fig. 9 (a). When the predetermined pressing force is exceeded due to the generation of the complexing portion 160, the complexing and accumulating portion 120, and the like in the protruding portion 210, the rotating fiber separating mechanism 220 starts rotating as shown in fig. 9 (b). Then, as shown in fig. 9 c, the protrusion 210 (black dot in fig. 9) is pulled out from the fiber bundle 100, and the next protrusion 210 (white dot in fig. 9) is inserted into the fiber bundle 100. Since the non-branching processing section is shorter as the operation of fig. 9 (a) to 9 (c) is shorter, it is preferable to shorten the operation of fig. 9 (a) to 9 (c) when increasing the proportion of the branching processing section of the fiber bundle. The complexing portion 160 and the complexing reservoir 120 are concentrated by being blocked by the non-moving protrusions 210 that come into contact with the traveling fiber bundle. Therefore, it is effective to detect the increase in the pressing force, quickly insert and remove the protruding portion 210, and release the complexing portion 160 and the complexing-accumulating portion 120. Even if the protrusion 210 is pulled out and inserted faster than the moving speed of the fiber bundle, the fiber bundle is less damaged, and the application is preferable. That is, the traveling speed of the traveling fiber bundle has a speed difference from the pulling and inserting speed of the fiber dividing mechanism 200 or the rotational speed of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220.

On the other hand, fig. 2 shows a method of splitting a fiber bundle having a twisted portion. In addition to simply inserting the fiber distribution mechanism 200 provided with the protrusion 210 into the fiber bundle 100, it is also preferable to use a rotatable fiber distribution mechanism 200 as the fiber distribution mechanism. In the case of the rotation of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism, when the fiber bundle is subjected to the fiber dividing process, the rotation operation is intermittently performed in accordance with the generation of the entanglement unit, the twist unit, and the like as described above. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a movement cycle for inserting the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 into the fiber bundle having the twist portion. The rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 includes a rotation mechanism including a rotation shaft 240 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle 100, and a protrusion is provided on the surface of the rotation shaft 240. As the fiber bundle 100 travels in the fiber bundle traveling direction B (arrow) in the figure, the protrusion 210 provided on the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 is inserted into the fiber bundle 100, and the fiber splitting process is started. Although not shown, the rotational fiber separation mechanism 220 preferably includes a rotational speed control mechanism, a pressing force detection mechanism, and a rotational stop position holding mechanism. By these means, the rotational fiber separating means 220 keeps the rotation stop position for a predetermined time at the position of fig. 2(a) until the twist portion 180 is detected by the yarn width detecting portion 900 and the detection camera 910, and continues to separate the fibers. As shown in fig. 4 (a), when the twisted portion 180 is detected by the yarn width detecting unit 900 and the detection camera 910, the following mode is preferably set: the speed of the rotating splitting mechanism 220 is controlled so that the protrusion 210 is restricted to the lowest contact with the splice 180 as shown in fig. 4(b) from immediately before the protrusion 210 comes into contact with the detected splice 180 until it passes through. Specifically, when the twisted portion 180 is detected, the speed of the fiber bundle traveling in the longitudinal direction is preferably substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220. The reason for this is that: if a speed difference occurs, the time for which the inserted protruding portion 210 comes into contact with the twisted portion 180 becomes long, and thus damage to the monofilament constituting the fiber bundle 100 including the twisted portion 180 becomes large. The contact distance is determined by the speed and the contact time, and as the contact time becomes longer, the contact distance also becomes longer. In addition, the reason is also that: if the peripheral speed of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 210 is increased in order to shorten the contact time, the number of times the protrusion 210 is inserted increases, and the damage to the monofilaments constituting the fiber bundle 100 increases. The substantially same speed as described herein means that the peripheral speed of the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 is rotated and operated at a speed of 100% to 95% of the traveling speed of the fiber bundle.

Here, the interval between the protrusions of the protruding portion on the surface of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 will be described. By arranging the plurality of protrusions 210 in the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220, the fiber bundle 100 having a large distribution processing ratio can be obtained, or the life of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 can be extended. The fiber bundle having a large proportion of the fiber dividing treatment is a fiber bundle in which the length of the fiber dividing treatment in the fiber bundle is increased or a fiber bundle in which the frequency of generation between the fiber dividing-treated section and the non-fiber dividing-treated section is increased. Further, the greater the number of the protrusions 210 provided in the 1-piece rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220, the more the frequency of the protrusions 210 being worn by contact with the fiber bundle 100 can be reduced, and the lifetime can be extended. The number of the projections 210 is preferably 3 to 12, more preferably 4 to 8, at equal intervals at the outer edge of the disk. As shown in fig. 1 (b), the distance between the adjacent protruding portions 210 may be equal to or greater than the length of the twisted portion in order to minimize contact between the twisted portion and the protruding portion 210. As shown in fig. 1 (c), the length may be smaller than the length of the twisted portion. The reason is that: even if the interval between adjacent protrusions 210 is shorter than the length of the splice, the stress associated with the offset is not generated by inserting only each tooth of the protrusions 210 by rotating at the same speed, and thus the damage of the fiber bundle is suppressed low. As described above, even when the twisted portion exists in a part of the split fiber bundle, the twisted portion can be prevented from being broken by contacting the protruding portion 210 of the rotary splitting mechanism 220, and thus the splitting process can be continuously and stably performed on the fiber bundle for a long time. Further, the continuous splitting treatment of the large cheap tows having the twisted part can be performed, and the material cost and the manufacturing cost of the molded product can be reduced.

In addition, the fiber dividing method of the twisted portion is preferably compatible with the fiber dividing method of the twisted portion and the like. When the fiber bundle 100 having a stable fiber bundle width is desired, the rotational fiber distribution mechanism 220 preferably includes an imaging mechanism for detecting twist. Specifically, the fiber splitting process is performed by intermittently repeating the rotation and stop of the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 in a normal period before the twist is detected by the imaging mechanism, and when the twist is detected, the fiber bundle width can be stabilized by increasing the rotation speed of the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 and/or shortening the stop time as compared with the production period. In the partial fiber distribution process, the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 may be continuously rotated without interruption, in addition to a method of repeating intermittent rotation and stop of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220. At this time, any one of the traveling speed of the fiber bundle 100 and the rotational speed of the rotational fiber dividing mechanism 220 may be relatively accelerated or decelerated. By adjusting the relative speed, the fiber splitting effect can be freely controlled.

[ divide fine mechanism: reciprocating up and down)

In the present invention, a vertical reciprocating mechanism for inserting and extracting the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 by reciprocating the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 may be further provided. Further, it is preferable that the fiber distribution mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220 further include a vertical reciprocating mechanism for vertically reciprocating the fiber distribution mechanism in the feeding direction of the fiber bundle 100. As the vertical reciprocating mechanism, a linear actuator (linear actuator) such as a compressed air cylinder, an electric cylinder, a slider (slider), or the like can be used.

When a fiber bundle including a twisted portion is used, the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 may be further provided with a vertical reciprocating mechanism for inserting and extracting the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 by vertical reciprocating movement. Further, it is also preferable to further include a vertical reciprocating mechanism for vertically reciprocating the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 along the feeding direction of the fiber bundle 100.

Although not shown, the fiber dividing mechanism 200 and the rotary fiber dividing mechanism 220 intermittently repeat the vertical reciprocating movement for a predetermined time period until the twist portion 180 is detected by the yarn width detecting unit 900 and the detection camera 910. When the twist portion 180 is detected by the yarn width detecting unit 900 and the detection camera 910, it is preferable to control the fiber separating mechanism 200 and the rotational fiber separating mechanism 220 so as to be pulled out from the fiber bundle 100 including the twist portion from immediately before the detection camera comes into contact with the detected twist portion 180 until the detection camera passes. As the reciprocating mechanism, a linear actuator (linear actuator) such as a compressed air cylinder, an electric cylinder, a slider (slider), or the like can be used.

[ corner portion ]

The shape of the contact portion of the tip of the protrusion 210 with the fiber bundle 100 is preferably a rounded corner portion as shown in fig. 7. The

corners

230L, 230R of the protrusion 210 are preferably formed in a curved shape as a whole, such that the corners are formed in an arc shape (curvature radius: R) as shown in fig. 8 (a), and partial arcs R1, R2 (angle ranges: θ 1, θ 2, curvature radii: R1, R2) as shown in fig. 8 (b) in combination with a straight line L1.

If the shape of the corner is not sufficient and sharp, the monofilament is easily cut, and when the fiber separation treatment is performed, the fiber bundle 100 easily protrudes in an end-forked shape, and the generation of fluff is easily increased. When the end portions are branched and extended, a conveyance failure such as a roller involved in conveyance, fluff being accumulated on the driving roller, and slippage of the fiber bundle may occur. Further, the cut monofilaments may cause fuzz and form a entangled portion. When the accumulated entangled portion becomes large, the fiber bundle unwound from the winding body is easily caught.

The radius of curvature r in fig. 8 (a) is preferably a dimension obtained by multiplying the thickness of the contact portion by 0.01 to 0.5, and more preferably a dimension obtained by multiplying the thickness by 0.01 to 0.2. In addition, a plurality of arc portions in fig. 8 (b) may be provided. The circular arc portion and the straight line portion can be set arbitrarily.

[ method for producing intermediate base Material ]

In the present invention, the intermediate substrate is a fiber-reinforced resin sheet in which a mat made of discontinuous reinforcing fibers is impregnated with a thermosetting resin and/or a thermoplastic resin. The sheet is a sheet-like base material in which reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers are compounded with a resin material, and fiber bundles such as carbon fibers are dispersed or aligned in the resin material. The sheet-like substrates are laminated according to the structure of the article, for example by press molding to form a composite article.

Examples of the method for producing the intermediate substrate include a method including the following (1) coating step, (2) dicing step, and (3) resin impregnation step, as shown in fig. 10 and 11. Typically, the intermediate substrate is manufactured by SMC processing. Fig. 10 shows 1 example of the production process of the intermediate base material when the thermosetting resin is applied. Fig. 11 shows 1 example of the production process of the intermediate base material when the thermoplastic resin is applied. In fig. 10 and 11, a partial tow 1502 of a roll is unwound from a creel 1501 and cut into a predetermined length by a cutting process 1503. At this time, the cutting direction is cut at an angle theta (0 DEG < theta.ltoreq.90 DEG) with respect to the length direction of the partial fiber-splitting fiber bundle. Then, the fiber bundle passes through the dispersion mechanism 1504, becomes small pieces of the divided fiber bundle, and is dispersed in the resin composite 1506. Further, the sheet is conveyed to resin impregnation step 1511 to become intermediate base 1512. Further, the intermediate base material 1512 is wound into a roll shape for the subsequent steps. Hereinafter, the steps (1) to (3) will be described in detail.

(1) Coating process 1509: when the applied resin is a thermosetting resin, a slurry containing the resin is applied to the 1 st sheet 1507 and the 2 nd sheet 1508 which are conveyed in a predetermined direction (fig. 10). In addition, when the resin to be applied is a thermoplastic resin, the resin is spread from above the cut fiber bundle (fig. 11).

Examples of the thermosetting resin include unsaturated polyester resins, epoxy resins, vinyl ester resins, phenol resins, epoxy acrylate resins, urethane acrylate resins, phenoxy resins, alkyd resins, urethane resins, maleimide resins, and cyanate ester resins. The thermosetting resin may be used alone in 1 kind, or may be used in combination of 2 or more kinds. Further, a thermosetting resin obtained by copolymerization may be used.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyolefin-based resins, polyamide-based resins, polyester-based resins, polyphenylene sulfide resins, polyether ketone resins, polyether sulfone resins, and aromatic polyamide resins. The thermoplastic resin may be used alone in 1 kind, or may be used in combination of 2 or more kinds. In addition, the resin may be a copolymerized thermoplastic resin.

In addition to the thermosetting resin and/or the thermoplastic resin to be coated, a mixture obtained by mixing a filler such as calcium carbonate, a low shrinkage agent, a release agent, a curing initiator, a thickener, and the like may be used.

(2) A cutting process 1503: the traveling partial fiber-divided fiber bundle is cut into a predetermined length by using a cutter. The cutting direction is an angle theta (0 DEG < theta.ltoreq.90 DEG) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the partial fiber bundle, and the angle theta is more preferably 8 DEG to 20 deg. By having an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction, the subsequent resin impregnation state is good, which is preferable. When the resin to be coated is a thermosetting resin, the continuous fiber bundle is cut by a cutter and spread from above the 1 st sheet 1507 conveyed in a predetermined direction (fig. 10). When the resin to be applied is a thermoplastic resin, the continuous fiber bundle is cut by a cutter and spread from above a conveyor belt that is conveyed in a predetermined direction (fig. 11).

In this case, a dispersing mechanism may be used after the dicing in order to disperse the resin so as to have a uniform weight per unit area and a uniform thickness. As the dispersing mechanism, a mechanism for causing the cut fiber bundle to collide with a rotating roller having a protrusion, a mechanism for blowing air, or the like can be used.

(3) Resin impregnation step 1511: when the resin to be coated is a thermosetting resin, the 2 nd sheet 1508 to which the slurry is applied is superposed on the 1 st sheet 1507 on which the fiber bundles are dispersed, and then the slurry and the fiber bundles sandwiched between the 1 st sheet 1507 and the 2 nd sheet 1508 are pressed to contain the resin between the filaments of the fiber bundles (fig. 10). When the resin to be coated is a thermoplastic resin, the conveyor belts on which the fiber bundles and the thermoplastic resin are dispersed are overlapped from above by the conveyor belts, and the resin is impregnated between the filaments of the fiber bundles by applying pressure under heating (fig. 11).

[ method for producing molded article ]

Examples of the method for producing the molded article include a method having the following pressing step.

A pressing procedure: after the intermediate base material is cut into a predetermined size, it is pressed by a press for a predetermined time under a pressurized and heated condition.

[ method for evaluating the number of divisions of a partially split fiber bundle ]

The partially split fiber bundles are cut in the longitudinal direction and used in the SMC process. The evaluation method will be described below, in which the easy-to-split property of the partially split fiber bundles is confirmed to evaluate whether the fiber bundles are in a good distribution state before SMC processing as a subsequent step is performed.

The "number of divisions" in the present invention means a state after the partial split fiber bundle (width 20mm to 100mm) wound in a bobbin shape is unwound, and then the partial split fiber bundle is scattered by applying an impact to the fiber bundle cut to an arbitrary length, and the number of pieces (small pieces) is used as a starting point to represent the divided state. Of the chips obtained by dividing the fiber bundle, 1 chip was counted, the number of chips having a weight of 0.0007g or more. The number of divisions is a positive integer, and the number of divisions is preferably measured 10 times and used as an average value up to the 1 st position after the decimal point.

As a method for evaluating the number of divisions used in the present invention, a partially split fiber bundle obtained by a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle is cut into an arbitrary length, and then an impact is applied to the cut partially split fiber bundle, and the number of divisions of the partially split fiber bundle is confirmed. The inventors of the present application have found that the present evaluation method is suitable for the purpose of confirming in advance the dispersed state of the partially fibrillated fiber bundles in the (2) cutting step of the SMC step described above.

The condition of the cut length of the partially fibrillated fiber bundle in the present invention is preferably 5mm or more and less than 35mm, and more preferably 10mm or more and less than 21 mm.

In the present invention, the method of applying an impact to the cut partial fiber bundle is preferably a method of placing the partial fiber bundle in an arbitrary container, dropping the partial fiber bundle from an arbitrary height, and applying an impact. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing 1 example of a method of applying an impact in the division number evaluation method. In fig. 12 (a), the cut partial fiber bundle 1000 is enclosed in a container 1004 and freely falls from the upper part of a cylindrical guide 1005 having a height H toward a bottom plate 1006. Fig. 12 (b) shows a state in which the fiber bundle 1000 after free fall is divided into pieces by an impact generated by collision with the bottom plate. The condition for applying the impact at this time is preferably 80m/s ² The above acceleration is given for 60ms to 250m/s ² The following acceleration is given to the condition of 60ms, and more preferably 90m/s ² The above acceleration is given for 60ms to 120m/s ² The following acceleration is given to the condition of 60 ms. Acceleration 90m/s ² "x 60 ms" means acceleration (90 m/s) obtained by free fall in relation to the free fall speed ² ) The time is accumulated (60m sec) to express the impact strength (impulse).

The container for holding the cut partial staple fibers in the present invention is preferably a container 1004 made of a material capable of withstanding the impact when dropped, and various containers made of materials such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, fluororesin, aluminum, and stainless steel can be used.

When the container 1004 in which the cut partial fiber bundle of the present invention is placed is dropped from an arbitrary height H, various materials such as Teflon (registered trademark), rubber, urethane foam, expanded polyethylene foam, and rubber sponge can be used as the material of the bottom plate 1006 laid on the floor for shock absorption.

As another method of applying the impact, a method of placing a part of the divided fiber bundle on a plate of an arbitrary size and applying vibration from below the plate in the horizontal direction; a method of placing a part of a divided fiber bundle on a board of an arbitrary size and applying an impact by striking the lower part of the board in the horizontal direction with a hammer. As the material of the plate used in this case, various materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, Teflon (registered trademark) and the like can be used. In this case, it is preferable that the condition for applying an impact to the fiber bundle is 80m/s in terms of acceleration ² The above acceleration is given for 60ms to 250m/s ² The following acceleration is given to the condition of 60ms, and more preferably 90m/s ² The above acceleration is given for 60ms to 120m/s ² The following acceleration is given to the condition of 60 ms. Acceleration of less than 80mm/s ² In the case of the above-described method, the partial fiber bundle is less likely to be subjected to impact, and therefore, the partial fiber bundle is difficult to be divided, which is different from the prediction of the dispersion state in the subsequent processing step. Acceleration exceeding 250m/s ² In the case where the impact applied to a part of the fiber bundle is too large, the fiber bundle is cut excessively, which leads to a difference from the prediction of the dispersion state in the subsequent processing step.

The critical meaning of the number of divisions is explained. First, in order to stabilize and improve the physical properties and quality of SMC, the number of divided filaments in the SMC step must be 11.1X 10 ³ Hereinafter, in order to improve the fiber bundle passability in the fiber dividing step, the number of divided filaments must be 1.5 × 10 ³ The above.

More preferably, the number of divided filaments is 3X 10 ³ In this case, the properties and pile quality are most stable. The lower limit of the number of divided filaments is 11.1X 10 ³ In the above case, since the number of divisions is small and the division width is wide, gaps are generated when the fibers are scattered in the sheet, and the physical properties are remarkably reduced. The number of divided filaments was 1.5X 10 ³ In the following, although there is no problem in physical properties, the pitch between the split teeth of the splitting treatment means becomes narrow, fiber clogging occurs, and fluff increases, resulting in deterioration in quality. I.e. throughThe method for evaluating the number of divisions is to confirm the easiness of the actual partial fiber bundle to be divided, and the number of divisions Y is

Non-spliced part: (X/11.1X 10) ³ )≤Y≤(X/1.5×10 ³ ) [ formula 1]

In this case, the partial tow fiber bundle exhibiting a good distribution state during SMC processing in the subsequent step can be confirmed in advance, and the abnormal product outflow can be prevented.

Examples

The present invention will be described below by referring to examples and comparative examples. The present invention is not to be construed as being limited to the examples and comparative examples.

First, fiber bundles used in examples and comparative examples will be described.

Fiber bundle (1): a fiber bundle having a fiber diameter of 7.2 μm, a continuous carbon fiber bundle having a tensile elastic modulus of 240GPa and a filament number of 50000 (product name "ZOLTEK (registered trademark)" PX35-50K fiber number: 50000 manufactured by ZOLTEK Co., Ltd.) were used.

The measurement method of the characteristic value and the evaluation method of the effect are as follows.

(1) Evaluation of the number of divisions

Evaluation was performed at room temperature. Part of the split fiber bundles was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the length direction. The cut partial fiber bundle 1000 was sealed in a fluororesin weighing bottle (container 1004). The impact applied to the partial fiber bundle 1000 is applied by a natural dropping method shown in a schematic diagram of fig. 12. In fig. 12, a vinyl chloride pipe is used for a cylindrical guide 1005, and a rubber bottom plate 1006 is laid on the bottom surface of the cylindrical guide. The container 1004 containing the cut partial fiber bundle was set on the top of the cylindrical tube and allowed to fall naturally from the height H of 1 m. The container 1004 collides with the bottom plate 1006 and stops. At this time, 100m/s was given to the cut partial fiber bundle 1000 ² Acceleration of 60m seconds. The impact condition is expressed as "acceleration 100m/s ² ×60ms”。

Then, the partial fiber bundle 1000 is taken out from the container 1004, and the number of chips of the fiber bundle in a scattered state is counted. For evaluation, 10 measurements were performed, and the average value was calculated. The average value is obtained by rounding off the 2 nd digit after the decimal point and setting the value of the 1 st digit after the decimal point as the average number of divisions.

(2) Evaluation of gap State in case of Dispersion on processed sheet

In the SMC step of fig. 10, after the cutting step (2), the dispersed state of the cut partially split fiber bundles on the sheet was visually observed. When the partial tow fiber bundles spread on the sheet were observed from above, the sheet as the base was judged to be "gapped" when the sheet was visible from the gaps between the spread partial tow fiber bundles, and "gapless" when the sheet was not visible at all.

< example 1>

Using the configuration shown in fig. 1 (a), a partial split fiber bundle was prepared. The device is as follows: the splicing part of the advancing fiber bundle is detected, and the operation mode of pulling and inserting the splicing part by the rotary fiber splitting mechanism 220 is changed. The fiber bundle (100) including the twisted portion was unwound at a constant speed of 20m/min using a winder, and the unwound fiber bundle (100) was passed over a vibration widening roller vibrating in the axial direction at 10 Hz. After the fiber bundle (100) was widened, it was passed through a width-limiting roll limited to a width of 45mm, thereby obtaining a widened reinforcing fiber widened to 45 mm. The twisted portion was 100mm in the longitudinal direction, narrower than 45mm in width, and 15mm in the width direction. A fiber splitting mechanism in which a rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm was provided in parallel at an interval of 3mm and the like with respect to the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) was prepared for the widened fiber bundle (100) including the spliced portion obtained. By using this fiber splitting mechanism, the rotating fiber splitting mechanism 220 was rotated at a speed of 114rpm to intermittently pull and insert the widened fiber bundle including the twisted portion, thereby preparing a partially split fiber bundle. The rotational speed is different from the moving speed of the fiber bundle.

At this time, the rotating fiber distribution mechanism 220 inserts the rotating fiber distribution mechanism 220 into the fiber bundle after the widening traveling at a constant speed of 20m/min for a period of 3 sec(s) to generate a fiber distribution processing section (156mm), and the fiber distribution processing mechanism is pulled out without insertion for a period of 0.5sec (10mm) to prepare a non-fiber distribution processing section. The reinsertion operation and the removal operation are repeated by the rotation of the rotary fiber distribution mechanism 220. Wherein, when the splicing part approaches the rotary fiber dividing mechanism (220), the rotary fiber dividing mechanism (220) rotates at a speed of 20m/min which is substantially the same as the advancing speed along the length direction of the fiber bundle by changing the operation mode.

The obtained partial split fiber bundle is split into 15 split (split) portions in the width direction in the split fiber processing section, and has a entanglement accumulating part (120) in which monofilament entangled parts are accumulated in at least 1 end of at least 1 split fiber processing section. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, when the twisted portions in the partial tow are split, the length in the longitudinal direction of the twist is 100mm, while the length in the longitudinal direction between the protrusions provided in the rotary splitting mechanism is 19mm, and therefore, the twisted portions are in slight contact with the rotary splitting mechanism (220). The contact distance was 25mm, but the spliced portion was not broken, and the fiber separation treatment was stably performed. The results are shown in table 1.

Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to the condition of "acceleration 100m/s ² Impact of 60ms ″ (evaluation according to (1) division number). The average number of divisions was 15.2. Further, it was confirmed that the dispersion was dispersed without a gap when the dispersion was dispersed in a processing sheet. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 2>

Under the same conditions as in example 1, a device was prepared for detecting the spliced portion of the partially split fiber bundle and changing the operation mode of inserting and removing the spliced portion by the protruding portion.

When the twisting part approaches the fiber separating processing mechanism, the operation mode is changed, and the moving speed of the protruding part is adjusted to the fiber bundle in the direction along the advancing direction of the fiber bundleA partially split fiber bundle was prepared by the same conditions as in example 1 except that the operation was performed by rotating at a speed of 95% (19 m/min). The obtained partial fiber bundle has a filament entangled portion (120) accumulated in at least 1 end portion of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section in a range where the fiber bundle is divided into 15 fiber divisions in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, the twisted portion is slightly brought into contact with the rotary tow dividing mechanism (220), and the twisted portion is not broken, so that the tow dividing treatment can be stably performed. The obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to an acceleration of 100m/s ² The average number of divisions at an impact of 60ms "was 15.3. Further, it was confirmed that the dispersion was dispersed without a gap when the dispersion was dispersed in a processing sheet. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 3>

A fiber-splitting fiber bundle was prepared by the fiber-splitting mechanism 200 shown in fig. 3 (a) and (b) in which iron blades moved up and down. A fiber bundle (100) including a twisted portion was unwound at a constant speed of 20m/min using a winder, a reinforcing fiber was passed through the unwound fiber bundle (1) from a vibration widening roll vibrating in the axial direction at 10Hz, the reinforcing fiber was widened, and then the widened fiber bundle was passed through a width regulating roll restricted to 45mm in width, thereby obtaining a widened fiber bundle widened to 45 mm. A fiber dividing mechanism (200) (made of iron blades) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm is provided in parallel to the obtained fiber bundle (100) including the twisted portion at an interval of 3mm and the like in the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) including the twisted portion in the fiber dividing mechanism (200).

As shown in fig. 3 (b), the fiber splitting processing means intermittently performs a series of operations of preparing a partially split fiber bundle including a twisted portion with respect to a fiber bundle (100): the fiber dividing mechanism (200) is inserted and extracted vertically from the lower side of the fiber bundle (100) with respect to the traveling direction of the fiber bundle including the twisted portion.

At this time, the fiber dividing mechanism inserts the fiber dividing mechanism into the widened fiber bundle traveling at a constant speed of 20m/min for 3sec to generate a fiber dividing processing section 1000mm long, and extracts the fiber dividing processing for 0.5sec to prepare an undrained fiber processing section 167 mm. The reinsertion operation is repeated. When the spliced part approaches the fiber splitting mechanism (200), the operation mode is changed, so that the insertion of the fiber bundle (100) including the spliced part by the fiber splitting mechanism (200) is temporarily stopped, and the time for inserting the fiber splitting mechanism (200) into the fiber bundle (100) including the spliced part is changed. The stop start time is obtained by dividing the distance (m) from the position where the twisted portion is detected to the fiber dividing mechanism by the moving speed (m/min) of the fiber bundle. The length (m) of the narrowing is obtained from the detected image of the twisted portion, and the stop time is obtained from the moving speed of the fiber bundle.

The obtained partial fiber bundle has a filament entangled portion accumulated in at least 1 end portion of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section in a range where the fiber bundle is divided into 15 fiber divisions in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section. As a result of preparing 500m partially split fiber bundles, when the twisted portions present in the partially split fiber bundles were split, the twisted portions did not contact the iron-made blades and the twisted portions did not break, and the splitting treatment could be stably performed. The obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to an acceleration of 100m/s ² The average number of divisions at an impact of ×. 60ms "was 15.1. Further, it was confirmed that the dispersion was dispersed without a gap when the dispersion was dispersed in a processing sheet. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 4>

A partial split fiber bundle of the constitution shown in fig. 1 (a) was prepared. A fiber splitting process was performed in the same manner as in example 1, except that a fiber splitting mechanism in which a rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm was provided in parallel at equal intervals of 11.1mm with respect to the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) was prepared. When the twisting part approaches the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220), the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220) is rotated at a speed substantially the same as the traveling speed in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle by changing the operation mode.

The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 4.5-6.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section is provided with a complex accumulation part (120) formed by accumulating monofilament interweaving parts. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, when the twisted part in the partial tow is processed, the twisted part is slightly contacted with the rotary tow dividing mechanism (220), but the twisted part is not broken, and the tow dividing process can be stably processed. Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to the condition of "acceleration of 100m/s ² When the impact is applied under the condition of multiplied by 60 ms', the non-spliced part is confirmed to be divided in the range of 4.5 to 6.0. Further, it was confirmed that some gaps were generated when the sheets were dispersed on the processing sheet, but the level was not problematic. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 5>

A partial split fiber bundle of the constitution shown in fig. 1 (a) was prepared. A fiber splitting process was performed in the same manner as in example 1, except that a fiber splitting mechanism in which a rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm was provided in parallel at equal intervals of 1.5mm with respect to the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) was prepared. When the twisting part approaches the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220), the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220) is rotated at a speed substantially the same as the traveling speed in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle by changing the operation mode.

The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 30.0-33.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section is provided with a complex accumulation part (120) formed by accumulating monofilament interweaving parts. 500m of partial fiber bundle is prepared, and as a result, when the twist portion existing in the partial fiber bundle is processed by fiber separation, the twist portion and the rotary fiber separating mechanism (220) are slightly rotatedThe spliced portion is not broken, and the fiber splitting treatment can be stably performed. The obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to an acceleration of 100m/s ² The impact at 60ms "was confirmed to have a non-spliced portion in the range of 30.0 to 33.0 divisions. Further, it was confirmed that the resin had no gaps when dispersed in the processing sheet, but had a large volume in which the resin was not easily impregnated. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 6>

Under the same conditions as in example 4, a device was prepared in which the spliced portion of the partially split fiber bundle was detected and the operation mode of inserting and removing the spliced portion by the protruding portion was changed (see fig. 4).

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in example 1 except that the running mode was changed so that the speed of the protrusion was rotated at 95% of the yarn speed in the direction of the running direction of the fiber bundle when the spliced portion approached the partially split fiber treatment mechanism. The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 4.5-6.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section is provided with a complex accumulation part (120) formed by accumulating monofilament interweaving parts. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, the twisted portion is slightly in contact with the rotary tow-splitting mechanism (220), but the twisted portion is not broken, and the tow-splitting treatment can be stably performed. Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to the condition of "acceleration 100m/s ² The impact of x 60ms "confirmed that the non-spliced portion was divided in a range of 4.5 to 6.0 divisions. Further, it was confirmed that some gaps were generated when the sheets were dispersed on the processing sheet, but the level was not problematic. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 7>

Under the same conditions as in example 5, a device was prepared in which the spliced portion of the partially split fiber bundle was detected and the operation mode of inserting and removing the spliced portion by the protruding portion was changed. As shown in fig. 4, the following apparatus was prepared under the same conditions as in example 1: the mode is changed by detecting a narrow width portion having a splice portion of a partial fiber bundle immediately before the fiber dividing step and transmitting a rotational speed change signal to a motor of the projection portion based on information of the detected narrow width portion of the splice portion, so that the rotational speed of the fiber dividing mechanism is substantially the same as the transport speed of the fiber bundle to minimize the insertion area of the fiber dividing mechanism into the splice portion.

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in example 1 except that the running mode was changed so that the speed of the protrusion was rotated at a speed of 95% of the yarn speed in the direction along the traveling direction of the fiber bundle when the spliced portion approached the partially split processing mechanism. The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 30.0-33.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section is provided with a complex accumulation part (120) formed by accumulating monofilament interweaving parts. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, the twisted portion is slightly in contact with the rotary tow-splitting mechanism (220), but the twisted portion is not broken, and the tow-splitting treatment can be stably performed. Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to the condition of "acceleration 100m/s ² The impact at 60ms "was confirmed to have a non-spliced portion in the range of 30.0 to 33.0 divisions. In addition, it was confirmed that the fibers were dispersed in a state where the fibers were overlapped with each other in a large amount without any gap when the fibers were dispersed in the processing sheet. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 8>

The split fiber bundles were prepared by the methods shown in fig. 3 (a) and (b). Fiber splitting was performed in the same manner as in example 3, except that a fiber splitting mechanism (200) (made of iron blades) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm was provided in parallel at an interval of 11.1mm or the like with respect to the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) including the twisted portion in the fiber splitting mechanism (200).

When the twisting part approaches the fiber splitting mechanism (200), the operation mode is changed, so that the insertion of the fiber bundle (100) including the twisting part by the fiber splitting mechanism (200) is temporarily stopped, and the time for inserting the fiber splitting mechanism (200) into the fiber bundle (100) including the twisting part is changed.

The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 4.5 to 6.0 fiber divisions in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section has a entanglement accumulation section in which monofilament entangled portions are accumulated. As a result of preparing 500m partially split fiber bundles, when the spliced portions existing in the partially split fiber bundles were split, the spliced portions did not contact the iron blades and the spliced portions did not break, and the splitting treatment could be stably performed. The obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to an acceleration of 100m/s ² The non-spliced portion was found to be in a range of 4.5 to 6.0 divisions at an impact of × (60 ms "). Further, it was confirmed that some gaps were generated when the resin particles were dispersed in the processing sheet. The results are shown in table 1.

< example 9>

The split fiber bundles were prepared by the methods shown in fig. 3 (a) and (b). Fiber splitting was performed in the same manner as in example 3, except that a fiber splitting mechanism (200) (made of iron blades) having a protruding shape with a thickness of 0.3mm, a width of 3mm, and a height of 20mm was provided in parallel at an interval of 1.5mm or more with respect to the width direction of the fiber bundle (100) including the twisted portion in the fiber splitting mechanism (200).

As shown in fig. 3 (b), the fiber splitting processing means intermittently performs a series of operations of preparing a partially split fiber bundle including a twisted portion with respect to a fiber bundle (100): the fiber dividing mechanism (200) is inserted and extracted vertically from the lower side of the fiber bundle (100) with respect to the traveling direction of the fiber bundle including the twisted portion. When the twisting part approaches the fiber splitting mechanism (200), the operation mode is changed, so that the insertion of the fiber bundle (100) including the twisting part by the fiber splitting mechanism (200) is temporarily stopped, and the time for inserting the fiber splitting mechanism (200) into the fiber bundle (100) including the twisting part is changed.

The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 30.0-33.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section has a complex accumulation part formed by accumulating monofilament interweaving parts. As a result of preparing 500m partially split fiber bundles, when the twisted portions present in the partially split fiber bundles were split, the twisted portions did not contact the iron-made blades and the twisted portions did not break, and the splitting treatment could be stably performed. Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was cut into 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the cut partially split fiber bundle was subjected to the condition of "acceleration 100m/s ² The impact at 60ms "was confirmed to have a non-spliced portion in the range of 30.0 to 33.0 divisions. In addition, it was confirmed that the fibers were dispersed in a state in which there was no gap when the fibers were dispersed in the processing sheet but a large number of portions where the fibers overlapped each other. The results are shown in table 1.

< comparative example 1>

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in example 1, except that the yarn width detector 900 was not present and the function of changing the operation mode when the spliced portion approached the splitting mechanism was not provided.

The obtained partial fiber bundle is divided into 15 fiber divisions in the width direction in the fiber division processing section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber division processing section has a entanglement accumulation section (120) in which monofilament entangled portions are accumulated. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, when the twisted part existing in the partial tow is subjected to a tow splitting treatment, the twisted part comes into contact with the rotary tow splitting mechanisms (220), a part of the twisted part is broken, and the broken part is clogged and accumulated between the rotary tow splitting mechanisms (220) arranged in parallel, thereby breaking the filaments. The results are shown in table 1.

< comparative example 2>

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in example 3, except that the following apparatus was prepared and operated: the device is provided with an imaging mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of twist of the fiber bundle when the twist part approaches the fiber splitting mechanism, and controls the fiber splitting mechanism to reduce the pressing force on the fiber bundle from just before the twist of the fiber bundle contacts the protruding part to the passage of the twist. Specifically, the twist is preferably detected by the imaging means, and the pressing force applied to the fiber bundle when the fiber bundle abuts against the protruding portion of the fiber dividing means is preferably reduced from immediately before the protruding portion comes into contact with the detected twist until the protruding portion passes through the detected twist. When the twist is detected, the amount of twist is preferably reduced to a range of 0.01 to 0.8 times the upper limit value of the pressing force. If the pressure is lower than this range, the pressing force cannot be detected substantially, and therefore control of the pressing force becomes difficult, and there is a need to improve the detection accuracy of the control device itself. When the number of the fibers exceeds this range, the frequency of the splitting treatment of the twisted fibers increases, and the fiber bundle becomes thin.

The obtained partial fiber bundle has a filament entangled portion (120) accumulated in at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing processing section in a range where the fiber bundle is divided into 15 fiber divisions in the width direction in the fiber dividing processing section. As a result of preparing a 500m partially split fiber bundle, in an imaging mechanism that normally detects a twisted narrow width portion of the fiber bundle, a state is formed in which a pressure force is reduced as a result of detection of a twisted portion present in the partially split fiber bundle, but the speed is not substantially the same as that of the fiber bundle. Therefore, when the fiber splitting treatment is performed, the twisted part is in contact with the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220), a part of the twisted part is broken, and the broken part is blocked and accumulated between the parallel rotary fiber splitting mechanisms (220) to break the fiber. The results are shown in table 1.

< comparative example 3>

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in examples 4, 5, 6, and 7 except that the yarn width detecting section 900 was not present and the function of changing the operation mode when the spliced portion approached the splitting mechanism was not provided.

The obtained partially split fiber bundle was divided into 4.5 pieces in the width direction in the splitting treatment section under the same conditions as in examples 4 and 6, and at least 1 end of at least 1 splitting treatment section had a entangled accumulation section (120) in which monofilament entangled portions were accumulated. As a result of preparing 500m partial tow, when the twisted part existing in the partial tow is subjected to a tow splitting treatment, the twisted part comes into contact with the rotary tow splitting mechanisms (220), a part of the twisted part is broken, and the broken part is clogged and accumulated between the rotary tow splitting mechanisms (220) arranged in parallel, thereby breaking the filaments. The results are shown in table 1.

In addition, the obtained partial fiber bundle was divided into 30.0 to 33.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the fiber dividing treatment section under the same conditions as in examples 5 and 7, and at least 1 end of at least 1 fiber dividing treatment section was provided with a entanglement accumulation section (120) in which monofilament entangled portions are accumulated. When a 500m partial fiber bundle is prepared and a twisting part in the partial fiber bundle is subjected to fiber splitting treatment, the twisting part contacts with the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220), a part of the twisting part is broken, and the broken part is blocked and accumulated between the parallel rotary fiber splitting mechanisms (220) to break the fiber. The results are shown in table 1.

< comparative example 4>

A partially split fiber bundle was prepared under the same conditions as in examples 3, 8 and 9, except that the following apparatus was prepared and operated: the fiber separating device is provided with an imaging mechanism for detecting whether the fiber bundle is twisted or not when the twisting part approaches the fiber separating processing mechanism, and the fiber separating mechanism is controlled in a mode of reducing the pressing force on the fiber bundle from the time before the twisting of the fiber bundle contacts the protruding part to the time before the twisting of the fiber bundle passes through the protruding part.

The obtained partially split fiber bundle was divided into 15 regions in the width direction in the splitting treatment section under the same conditions as in example 3, and had a entanglement accumulation section (120) in which monofilament entangled portions were accumulated at least at 1 end of at least 1 splitting treatment section. As a result of preparing a 500m partially split fiber bundle, in an imaging mechanism that normally detects a twisted narrow width portion of the fiber bundle, a state is formed in which a twisted portion existing in the partially split fiber bundle is detected and the pressing force is reduced, but it is not determined that the twisted portion is present, and therefore the splitting process is not stopped. Therefore, during the fiber splitting treatment, the twisting part is contacted with the rotary fiber splitting mechanism (220), part of the twisting part is broken, and the broken part is blocked and accumulated between the parallel rotary fiber splitting mechanisms (220) to break the fiber. The results are shown in table 1.

In the same condition as in example 8, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was split into 4.5 to 6.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the splitting treatment section, and at least 1 end of at least 1 splitting treatment section was provided with a entanglement accumulation part (120) in which monofilament entangled parts were accumulated. As a result of preparing a 500m partially split fiber bundle, in an imaging means for detecting a twisted narrow width portion of the fiber bundle in general, a state is formed in which a twisted portion existing in the partially split fiber bundle is detected and a pressing force is reduced, but at the time of splitting, the twisted portion is brought into contact with a rotary splitting means (220), a part of the twisted portion is broken, and the broken portion is clogged and accumulated between the rotary splitting means (220) arranged in parallel to break the yarn. The results are shown in table 1.

Further, the obtained partially split fiber bundle was split into 4.5 to 6.0 fiber bundles in the width direction in the splitting treatment section under the same conditions as in example 9, and had a entanglement accumulating part (120) where the monofilament entangled part was accumulated in at least 1 end of at least 1 splitting treatment section. As a result of preparing a 500m partially split fiber bundle, in an imaging means for detecting a twisted narrow width portion of the fiber bundle in general, a state is formed in which a twisted portion existing in the partially split fiber bundle is detected and a pressing force is reduced, but at the time of splitting, the twisted portion is brought into contact with a rotary splitting means (220), a part of the twisted portion is broken, and the broken portion is clogged and accumulated between the rotary splitting means (220) arranged in parallel to break the yarn. The results are shown in table 1.

[ Table 1]

In the "distance in which the fiber dividing mechanism contacts the spliced portion" shown in table 1, with the mechanism shown in fig. 1, when the spliced portion (180) approaches the protruding portion (210) as the fiber dividing processing mechanism, the protruding portion (210) may contact the spliced portion (180) when the protruding portion (210) is rotated at substantially the same speed as the traveling speed in the longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle (100) by changing the operation mode, and the distance is the distance in the longitudinal direction of the contact portion (211) at that time.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The present invention can be applied to all fiber bundles in which it is desired to divide a fiber bundle formed of a plurality of monofilaments into 2 or more bundles. In particular, when reinforcing fibers are used, the obtained partially split fiber bundle can be used for all reinforcing fiber composite materials such as an intermediate base material containing discontinuous fibers impregnated with a matrix resin.

[ description of reference numerals ]

100: fiber bundle

110: fiber separation processing section

120: complexing reservoir

130: non-fiber separation processing interval

140: pile gathering place

150: fiber separating treatment part

160: complexing moiety

170: distance of fiber separation

180: twisting part

200: fiber separating mechanism

210: projection part

211: contact part

220: rotary fiber separating mechanism

230L, 230R: corner part

240: rotating shaft

900: yarn width detecting section

910: detection camera

920: image processing apparatus

930: speed change signal output

1501: creel

1502: carbon fiber

1503: cutting procedure

1504: dispersing mechanism

1505: film(s)

1506: resin composite

1507: no. 1 sheet

1508: no. 2 sheet material

1509: coating step

1510: conveyor belt

1511: resin impregnation step

1512: intermediate substrate

1000: cut partial fiber bundle

1004: container with a lid

1005: cylindrical guide

1006: base plate

Claims

1. A partially split fiber bundle in which split treatment sections and non-split treatment sections, which are split into a plurality of bundles, are alternately formed along the longitudinal direction of a fiber bundle formed of a plurality of monofilaments, wherein a spliced portion, which is formed by splicing the fiber bundles, is present in the non-split treatment sections,

wherein the partial fiber bundle comprises cutting the partial fiber bundle into a width of 15mm in a direction perpendicular to the length direction and applying a force of 100m/s to the cut partial fiber bundle ² The carbon fiber having a division number Y of the formulae 1 and 2 when an impact is applied under the condition of an acceleration of 60msec, wherein Y is a positive integer,

non-spliced part: (X/11.1X 10) ³ )≤Y≤(X/1.5×10 ³ ) [ formula 1]]

Here, X is the total number of filaments of the partial fiber bundle.

2. Method for evaluating partially split fiber bundle, and method for evaluating partially split fiber bundleWherein a partially split fiber bundle obtained by a method for producing a partially split fiber bundle described below is cut into a length of 5mm to 30mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and then 100m/s is applied to the cut partially split fiber bundle ² After an impact under the condition of an acceleration of 60msec is applied, the number of divisions of a part of the fiber bundle is counted,

in the method for producing a partially defibered fiber bundle, a fiber bundle having a twisted portion is advanced in a longitudinal direction, and a protrusion of a defibering mechanism repeatedly inserts and extracts the fiber bundle in a defibering treatment unit to defiber a part of the fiber bundle in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the fiber dividing mechanism includes a rotating shaft orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle, a plurality of the protruding portions are provided on a part of a surface of the rotating shaft, the protruding portions of the fiber dividing mechanism are pulled out from the fiber bundle before the splicing portion based on position information of the splicing portion obtained by detecting the splicing portion, and a condition B is satisfied when the splicing portion passes through the fiber dividing processing portion,

3. The method for evaluating a partially fibrillated fiber bundle according to claim 2, wherein an impact applied to the partially fibrillated fiber bundle is a force caused by free fall, vibration, or shock.

4. The method for evaluating a partially split fiber bundle according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the impact applied to the partially split fiber bundle is a force that puts the cut partially split fiber bundle in a container, makes the container fall freely from a height of 0.3m or more and 3.0m or less, and hits a floor.